The research raises the question of whether patients with atypical Lyme disease—those who have symptoms but whose blood doesn’t test positive for Lyme—may actually be infected with B. miyamotoi, the newly identified bacteria. Credit: Kelvin Ma
Under the microscope, Sam Telford surveyed the tiny, spiral bacteria floating in spinal fluid taken from an 80-year-old woman. They looked very similar to the spirochete bacteria that can cause Lyme disease. But in fact, he had discovered yet another public health threat—a brand new disease that people can get from the same ticks that transmit the Lyme bacteria."